1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a device and a method for selecting an image forming apparatus when, in an instance in which a plurality of printers, copiers, or other such image forming apparatuses are connected to a network, a job registration means distributes a job requested by a computer or other such device to an individual image forming apparatus and registers said job therein. The present invention particularly concerns a method for selecting an image forming apparatus in an instance wherein a job of a specific mode that impedes continuous job execution is registered.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventionally known network system is one in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses is connected to a network and any of such devices is selected over the network to execute an image forming job. In such an instance, when a job requested by a computer or the like is registered for intended execution by a randomly selected image forming apparatus, if the aforementioned image forming apparatus is unable to execute the aforementioned job, an error is generated and overall system efficiency suffers.
Consequently, methods previously proposed to select an image forming apparatus when a job is distributed to an individual image forming apparatus include a method which recognizes the functional restrictions of individual image forming apparatuses and selects an image forming apparatus able to execute the requested job, and a method which searches for an image forming apparatus equipped with a printing medium requested by the job and selects an applicable device.
Depending on the type of job, a need sometimes arises to stop an image forming apparatus temporarily. For example, when printing in a manual paper supply mode, not only standard sheets, but non-standard sheets or special sheets (such as thick sheets or OHP sheets) are sometimes used. In some cases each user also commonly changes the sheets, and it is not possible to make a definitive determination about the sheets used. For this purpose, in a manual paper supply mode, an image forming apparatus is generally stopped temporarily in order to exchange sheets, and the user is requested to exchange the sheets in the manual paper supply port. In an image forming apparatus capable of storing multiple jobs, a disadvantage arises in that, when operation is stopped to exchange sheets, the execution of stored jobs is subsequently delayed, leading to reduced efficiency.
Because the aforementioned conventional selection methods merely select an image forming apparatus capable of executing a requested job, stop mode jobs and jobs pertaining to other modes are at times stored in intermingled fashion in a selected image forming apparatus, and the aforementioned problem has as yet not been resolved.
Another solution devised for the aforementioned problem is to exercise control such that, when an image forming apparatus is halted temporarily and a job pertaining to a mode not requiring a stop is next stored, such a job is executed prior to the aforementioned stop mode job. In this instance, a new problem results in that, when several non-stop mode jobs are stored, these jobs successively preempt the stop mode job and are executed continuously, and timing to restart the stop mode job cannot be achieved.